Distributer for automobile engine-starters.



' 0. A. WULF. DISTRIBUTER FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINE STARTERS.

APPLICATION FILED -DEO .-16, 1911.

1,048,021, Patented De0.24,1 912.

' UNITED em as PATENT OFFICE.

cHARIinsf A. WULF, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA."

-T all whom it mayconcem:

Be it"known that 1, CHARLES NVUIJF, a

citizen of the United *States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county. of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Distributor for. Automobile Engine- Starters, of which the followingis a specification. y i I The object of myin'v-entionis to produce in compact form-an automatic distributer for insertion between a multiplicity of'cyl- 'inders of an automobile engine and a manually manipulable pump by means of which a preliminary charge ofexplosive mixture "may be injected into that one (or more). of

the cylinders in which the :piston is' in proper position to receive a fuel charge.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention. I I Figure 1 is: a diagram orxplan showing the general arrangement of my apparatus. in conjunction with amultiplicity ofengine ."cy'linder's; Fig; 2 a section of the distributer on line 22 of Fig. 3'; Fig 3 a. section on line 3+3 of Fig. "2; and Fig. a fragmentary sectional detail showing .the connection between one of the distributing pipes and one of the engine cylinders.

In the drawings, 10, 10 indicate the several cylinders each of which, in the present instance, has its spark plug 11 mounted in .a bushing 12 connected with the cylinder.

head and having a fuelpipe 13 leading into the bushing immediately adjacent the spark plug. In. each of these pipes 13 may be inounted a pet cock'l t each with an arm 15 sothat the several arms may be connected togetherby a singlepus'h rodlG extended back through the dash board 17 where it maybe'readily manipulated. My improved distributer comprises a main body-Q21 within which I-form; for a four cylinder engine, two substantially. parallel passages 22, 22, each of which is an inverted -U-shape or V-shape, the arms of each pasusage' being comparatively short. In the y upon either one of the seats 24 at theoppo-- outer, end orlower end of each of these passages I mount a bushing or plug 23 pro I 5 vided with a valve seat 24: at its'inner end adapted to receive a valve ball-25 which loosely fitsthe passage 22 and is freely 'movable from end to end'thereof so as to seat site ends of the passage. Leading. fromeach passage 22 is a passage 26 each'of Specification of Letters Patent. Application filedDeceniber 16, 1911. Serial No. 666,224.

'ity. :nected by a pipe 31 with a pump chamber integral'with the distributor.

DISTBIBUTER FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINE-STARTERS.

I Patented'Dec. 24,1912.

these two passages 26 leads into a passage 27 through an intervening valve seat 28 upon which is mounted a check valve or ball 22) conveniently resting on its seat y grav- The-outer end of passage 27 is con- 32in which is mounted a piston 33. The chamber 32 communicates through a check valve 34 with a passage35 which leads from v a fuel supply'ftank charge cnd'brought well down into the fuel chamber 36- so-that the discharge end ofthe tube 41 will be submerged in the fuel, the

arrangement of the pump being such that on the up-stroke piston 38 will inject air through passage ll into the fuel, while piston-33 will suck the resulting mixture from the fuel chamber 36- into the pump chamber 32. On thedown-stroke of the two pistons fresh air will be drawn into chamber 37 and the mixture will be delivered from chamber 32' into pipe 31. -Each of the plugs 23 will.

have'one of the pipes 13 connectedto it.

7 .In order to relieve the pressures within thefidistributer when-desired;.I provide exhaust passages 4:2, 42 leading from the chambers 22 and provide a pet cock 43 arranged to open and close the passages 42 as clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, this pet cock construction beingconveniently made In operation, 'th the pet or, if n'o such pet cocks have beenprov1ded,

cocks 14 open 22 [by the compressions within the respec-@ tive cylinders so that; upon the compression in any one cylinder, freecommunication will be established. between theiinterior of-that cylinder and the corresponding passage. 26

and at the same time communication will be i cut off betweenthat-passage 26 and that j 2 cylinder within which the suction stroke-is. about to be performed. .When-the engine stops,

As; consequence 1 x.

balls 25 will be reciprocated in their passages P cient fuel within the engineto permit starting automatically by application of sparks within the cylinders in which the pistons are on their forward power strokes. the operator. without taking any pains to determine which of the cylinders are in position to receive a fresh charge, may immediately manipulate the fuel pump shown in Fig. 3 to inject the charge of fuel into the engine. il his inj ction of fuel will autmnatically raise the two check valves 29 and fuel will pass into both of the passages 22 and will there be distributed, by reason of the positions of the two balls .5, into those two cylinders in one of which compression last took place and in the other of which suction last too: place. Thereupon the necessary sparks may be supplied to produce an explosion within the cylinder in which compression has been produced and the forward movement of the engine will immediately produce compression in the other cylinder to which the charge of fuel has been delivered through my distributer so as to be ready for tiring as the piston in that cylinder passes the dead center.

In view of the fact that some objection might be raised to the possible noise of constant reciprocation ot' the-valves the pet cocks 14- have been provided and these petcocks would be normally held closed so that there would be no communication between the several cylinders and my distributor. lVhen the engine is allowed to stop, however, the operator would then open the several pet cocks, whereupon the pressures within the cylinders would serve to automatically shift the balls 25 to proper selective position.

It will be noticed that the apparatus which I have produced is exceedingly simpie to manufacture and that ordinary commercial balls may-be used for the valves although it is to be understood that I have merely selected this type of valve as one of a number of forms which might be used in which the valve can be shifted from one seat to another to accomplish the purpose.

I claim as my invention:

1. An automobile starter distributor comprising a main body having a passage therein with two de 'iending discharge ends, and also having a fuel supply )assage communicating with the middle of said passage, a

in with twodepending discharge ends, and' also having a fuel simply passage communicating with the middle of said passage, a pair of inwardly presented valve seats arranged at the opposite ends of said first mentioned passage, and a valve mounted within said first. mentioned passage and shittable into position upon either of said seats to thereby establish connection between the supply passage and the other of said seats, whereby back pressure at either discharge end of said first mentioned passage will serve to propel thevalve in said passage to the opposite seat.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana,

this 14th day of December,A. D. one thousand nine hundred. and eleven.

CHAR-LES A. WULF.

Witnesses:

MAY LAYDEN, FRANK A. FAHLE.-

deities ct this patent may be obtained for ilve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

